Great Britain star Cameron Norrie was dumped out of the ATP Rio Open by world number 113 Mariano Navone yesterday.
After the game, the underdog told BBC Sport what aspect of the match he handled better than Norrie.
So, what did Navone say after beating Norrie in Brazil? Let’s take a closer look…
Mariano Navone speaks after beating Cameron Norrie
Well, this was a turn-up for the books as defending champion Norrie saw his ATP Rio Open crown slip.
The Great Britain player lost 6-4, 6-4 and struggled big style against the Argentine player.
Navone will now play fellow Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the final and will fancy another upset.
After the game, the 22-year-old believed he coped with the heat and humidity better than Norrie did.
He told BBC Sport: “It’s incredible. I played so good all well. Today was very hot and humid, it’s tough to play in these conditions, but I’ve played six matches in a row so I feel pretty good.”
Norrie can take heart from this tournament
Reaching a semi-final is not to be sniffed at and perhaps Norrie will need more experience in these conditions.
Still, it’s been a decent tournament for the player and he will hope to park this one and move on quickly.
Norrie lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alexander Zverev in a five-set classic.
This season the Brit will be trying to reach another semi-final of a Grand Slam as he did in 2022 at Wimbledon.
Norrie is a player who at 28-years-old still has some time on his side.
He’s claimed five career titles to date and will still hold ambitions of laying his hands on a Grand Slam title at some point.
Setbacks such as yesterday aren’t overly helpful but he can regroup and recharge ahead of the next tournament.
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